Currently, four stroke, internal combustion engines typically use a carburetor for mixing fuel and air to ignite for combustion. Conventional carburetors can have a main carburetor body with mounting holes, a fuel inlet, a float valve, a fuel siphon tube, a fuel inlet port, and a float bowl secured to the siphon tube via a screw or bolt. The float bowl acts as a fuel reservoir and is typically made out of steel or other metals. As the engine consumes fuel, the float valve opens to allow more fuel to fill the float bowl.
Poor quality fuel, fuel contaminants or fuel with high percentages of ethanol may cause an engine to not start or run. Moreover, this may cause the carburetor to fail completely, thereby requiring that the carburetor be replaced. Regular maintenance of the carburetor can help prolong its life. To check for fuel quality or contamination in the carburetor, a user must open a port in the float bowl. Typically, the float bowl may have a screw or bolt that allows for the float bowl to be drained without disassembling it. The screw or bolt is removed with an appropriate tool and any contaminants and/or fuel is drained from the float bowl. This process of draining the float bowl is the same for winterizing a carburetor to prevent fuel from “souring” during an extended period of storage. One drawback to this process of draining the float bowl is that the user's' hands inevitably comes into contact with the drained contaminants and/or fuel. Hence, there is a need for a safer and more convenient assembly for draining the carburetor float bowl.
The present invention features a modified carburetor float bowl and drain valve that allows for the fuel quality to be verified visually and instantly without tools. In the event of contamination or winterization, the present invention also allows for the float bowl to be drained without the use of tools while preventing the user from contacting the drainage.
Any feature or combination of features described herein are included within the scope of the present invention provided that the features included in any such combination are not mutually inconsistent as will be apparent from the context, this specification, and the knowledge of one of ordinary skill in the art. Additional advantages and aspects of the present invention are apparent in the following detailed description and claims.